Generation of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells and Differentiation into Cardiomyocytes

Failure to regenerate myocardium after injury is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in humans. Direct differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into cardiomyocytes provides an invaluable resource to pursue cardiac regeneration based on cellular transplantation. Beyond the potential for clinical therapies, iPSC technology also enables the generation of cardiomyocytes to recapitulate patient-specific phenotypes, thus presenting a powerful in vitro cell-based model to understand disease pathology and guide precision medicine. Here, we describe protocols for reprogramming of human dermal fibroblasts and blood cells into iPSCs using the non-integrative Sendai virus system and for the monolayer differentiation of iPSCs to cardiomyocytes using chemically defined media.